they show you how to swim

[headandhand]

WHO: All Dualizens, old and new
WHAT: Your regularly scheduled NAPs event for the month
WHERE: Dualis Oasis
WHEN: Nov. 7-10
WARNINGS: Please use these if applicable!


Look at all of these bright, shining new faces! There’s even a few less bright, less shining faces - maybe even a few folks without faces - but hey, this city welcomes all types. Chances are, if you’ve just arrived, you're seeing some pretty crazy things, unless you're used to an eye-blinding amount of neon, robots, weird-ass technology, magic, and an omnipresent police force...and hey, if you are, congrats, you're gonna settle in juuuuust fine. But for the rest of you, the Head knows this has gotta be pretty overwhelming, right?

Well, since your quaint individual processing units are probably having a hard time, why not link up with another one? By which the Head means...

Hello, new citizens of Dualis,
and welcome to your monthly Network Adjacency Protocol~!

NAPs are a monthly community networking event similar to the Earth concept of speed dating! Two citizens (new arrivals and old hands alike) are placed at a table together with a handy cue card of queries to help break the proverbial ice. Ask queries and receive results, or ignore the card and yeet yourself straight into a brand new friendship! But don't be too shy, you've only got ten minutes together, and if you just sit in silence for the whole ten, the Network Admins are likely to come supervise and try to repair the uplink through a mild shock to the ol' central nervous system. You might find yourself saying all sorts of unintended facts about yourself if that happens...probably better to just make friends, right? Who doesn’t like friends?!

The weather outside may be taking a turn toward chilly, but you can still get your swim on during this month’s NAPs, held at the Dualis Oasis, an indoor temperature-controlled aquatic amusement park with giant slides, swimming pools, and lazy winding float rivers. Appropriate swimming gear is required for entry to this part of the park, but there are a number of shops just outside that will gladly sell you swimwear and accessories.

For those of you who wish to avoid a humid environment or just hate fun, a dehumidified lounge and restaurant offer quieter, dryer spaces for chatting and snacking. The actual speed-friending itself is in progress here, but you’re welcome to stick around and continue conversations with your new friends.

So c’mon, what are you waiting for? Just dive right in for fun and friendship - the water’s fine, fine, fine, just like everything else in this fair city. But hey, remember to play safe. No running!

Comments

[blitzcheer]

Tidus doesn’t quite get it at first, but it doesn’t delay his nod in agreement all the same. Realising a moment after, that oh, right, it probably isn’t good to speculate the city too much.

The subject works though, even if Tidus starts slowly.

“I never really understood them myself. When people die, pyreflies gather where they fell, or when a summoner sends them. It’s...a way of helping them move on,” he clarifies. Tidus can still remember when he had to be told what sending meant. “But I think they’re everywhere, even when you don’t see them. They look like lights when you do — small colourful wisps that can gather and show you memories. Or when you’re in the water where they are, it’s like floating in air. You can breathe.”

His gaze have shifted elsewhere, away from the table— away from the park. A fond smile playing on his lips, a memory remembered; but he remembers as well to return to the conversation, if with the affection lingering on his tongue.

“They put them in a stadium pool for a sports game I play.” He raises a hand in meaningless gesture. “It helps you stay breathing through all the action going on. And there's spheres you can watch recordings on.”

[morethanatrickster]

"Are the pyreflies souls, or are they simply drawn to the energies of death?" It was a question posed more to himself than to the other man. It was a fascinating concept to ponder, after all. Asgardians had their own beliefs about death, but few could attest to their accuracy. He knew Helheim and Valhalla existed, that much was not up for debate, but the true nature of those places? It was difficult to say.

To learn that other worlds had different views of death? Beyond interesting. "What is a sending?"

[blitzcheer]

“It’s a kind of dance. Summoners do it so that the souls of people who died can go to the Farplane. A…” what’s the best way to describe that? “...place where the dead go?"

Tidus looks at Loki, unsure. Did he sound really weird now, talking about the dead like this? “People don’t really know if it’s where the dead go—there's some who think it's all pyreflies and memories making the people you see there, but it seems plausible to me. Fiends usually appear where people die, but they haven’t where I’ve seen sendings. Or maybe it’s...all emotion. Or energy. And the summoner clears it.”

But he never gave that deeper thought to what it meant if the dead weren't involved. He just had his own thoughts and feelings about it.

[morethanatrickster]

"Aren't we all just a collection of memories?" It was no different from Valhalla, or the spirits who guide the souls to their final rest, not really. "Summoners must indeed be important to your culture, then."

[blitzcheer]

“They were important to the world,” he agrees, or makes it sound so--there was a difference between his culture and the rest of Spira (and then not at the same time). “‘Cept, I don’t know what they do now. The whole summoning part of the job is...over with, as far as I know. I guess they still do the sendings…”

But he fails to find more to add or to offer, head tilting in what’s ultimately a shrug motion, looking back at Loki helplessly.

“I can ask my friend if you’re interested, she’s a summoner.” Was, but he doesn’t think it worth correcting himself. “But what about you? You got anything that sounds like anything I said where you're from?"

Though the concept of memories, and what makes a person. Maybe Tidus will think more about that, later...

[morethanatrickster]

"Everyone has a soul, but nothing that manifests as a beast if it isn't shown the way to Valhalla. We all know the way." There are many questions Loki has beyond that reply, though, in regards to summoners. Why, for instance, they were called Summoners when their duty was the Send.

He has a feeling this boy doesn't have those answers, of course, and so he simply nods. "I'm interested in Summoners, though. A strange title for those whose duty it is to send isn't it?"

[blitzcheer]

Valhalla. Tidus can guess that’s similar to the Farplane, and it interests him, though he’ll wait to ask on that. And while he has an answer to Loki’s question, he scratches the side of his cheek hesitantly.

“They did summon. They became summoners for the purpose of summoning. It had to do with a pilgrimage.” But here Tidus stops deliberately, frowning, his brow crossing in thought.

“...But that’s a lot to talk about at a pool party.” He gestures out to where they are, a half-sheepish smile on him. “I should really ask my friend. It’s kind of her story, you know? I was just her guardian. There's a lot to it,” he adds, tipping his head.